Water conservation has become increasingly important with recent changes in the climate. For example, drought conditions exist in many parts of the world, necessitating better utilization of existing water supplies and the utilization of alternative water sources and distribution solutions. When rainwater levels in municipal water reservoirs become low, many municipalities implement outdoor watering restrictions for homeowners and business owners. As rainwater lessons and water levels within municipal water reservoirs drop further, outright watering bans often are instituted, preventing any outdoor watering. Attempts to overcome such restrictions and bans, while at the same time not violating them, include collecting rainwater during actual rain showers for storage and subsequent distribution for watering lawns, flowers, gardens, and the like.
Water storage and distribution systems are known to consist essentially of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, despite the plethora of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of various objectives and requirements.
Over time a number of innovations have been developed relating to collecting, storing, and distributing rainwater for subsequent use. The following patents and published patent applications are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,702, issued to Abrams et al., discloses a rainwater collection and dispensation system for economically conserving water usage by using collected rainwater. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,755, issued to Roles, discloses a high pressure water distributor for downpipes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,333, issued to Kuehneman, discloses a rainwater collection device for collecting rainwater from a gutter for later usage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,303, issued Harvey, discloses a downspout water conservation diversion adaptor for insertion within the lower part of an upstanding downspout and selectively operable to divert water flowing downward through the downspout laterally outwardly of the adaptor and along a building wall outwardly beyond which a roof eaves projects for irrigation of ground vegetation disposed beneath the eaves. U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,699, issued to Foglio, Sr., discloses a water holding and dispersing apparatus for catching and retaining rainwater for later watering usage.
Other attempts to solve these and other problems include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,179, issued to Taylor, discloses a rainwater collection and distribution apparatus which includes a tank which includes a water entry portion, a water exit portion, and a water containment portion located between the water entry portion and the water exit portion. U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,879, issued to Ticknor, discloses a rainwater collection apparatus which stores rainwater until required, and includes at least one outlet for exporting rainwater. U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,484, issued to van Berne et al., discloses a process and device for collecting and maintaining fresh amounts of rainwater. U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,151, issued to Vitale, discloses a rain water leader/gutter adaptor which is adapted to siphon rain water from a gutter. U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2006/0101723, filed by Baeta, discloses a rainwater collection and diverging system which includes a housing that has a bottom wall and a perimeter wall.
Other attempts to solve these and other problems include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,538, issued to Marcel at al., discloses an automatic rainwater collection device on a downpipe that comprises a branch collar suitable for fitting onto a down pipe and having an orifice coinciding with an orifice in the side of the down pipe, the orifices allowing for the insertion of an elastic scoop which, once in the pipe, will adapt to all or part of the inside of wall of the pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,151, issued to Chapotelle, discloses a new rainwater saver system using the principle of water following a line of least resistance, the rainwater saver system being for collecting water and redistributing it for various purposes. U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/0257433, filed by Dussault et al., discloses a gutter descent assembly designed to collect rainwater falling down a house roof surface.
Still other attempts to solve these and other problems include the following: Japanese patent 11200572 discloses a downpipe for purifying water. Japanese patent 11183236A2 discloses a rainwater storage container with a water level gauge. Japanese patent 11217855A2 discloses a rainwater storage device. Japanese patent 05171752A2 discloses a vertical gutter.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the technology described herein. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.